Ghost of our Past
by saphira54325
Summary: Izaya and Shizuo have been enemies since their meeting. But something happened between them that like it or not, bound them together for life. One young girl decides she wants to help them see that bond for all it can be. (Story is better than summary, I promise!) Shizaya fic, soft yaoi! Rated T for swearing and darker themes in later chapters.
1. Prolouge

Oh dear, why am I starting another story when I already have like 5 going? Probably because I can't commit to anything. But seriously, I'm so sorry if you like one of those stories and I haven't updated in a long time. Maybe you can review here and tell me what to update? It would be appreciated! Oh, and tell me what you think of this story too, that would be cool as well.

* * *

"IZAAAYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

His yell echoes in my ears long after I've made it back to my apartment in Shinjuku. I feel the corners of my lips turning up into a smile as I fetch my key from inside my trademark furry jacket's pocket and unlock the door.

Shizu-chan seemed even more riled up than normal today. Seems all the gangsters walking around set him off even before I got there. That or he got a particularly difficult customer during his working hours.

I ease the door open and shrug off my coat. The weather's warming up and it seems like I'll have to retire it for the summer pretty soon. Looking over the warm coat, I start planning the different ways I can get Shizu-chan's attention without wearing it, as it is usually the thing that catches his eye. I suppose I'll have to get up in his face a bit more than usual. Dangerous? Perhaps, but the payoff is being able to see the swift changes in emotion on his pale face.

The sound of a page of a book turning hits my sensitive ears, and my eyes narrow. Namie had taken this week off to try and 'spend time' with her younger brother Sejii. Had she forgotten something and come back to get it?

Turning to face the living room area of my open apartment, I don't see anyone or anything at first. Seems my nosy secretary hadn't returned for a lost item after all. Too bad, it's my third favorite pastime to annoy her, rivalled only by my observation of the general population and the thrill of my chases with Shizu-chan. I find myself shrugging it off as the AC kicking on and blowing a paper around on my desk.

Speaking of, I have a bit more work than usual and I should get it started. My line of work doesn't always require paper, due to the wonders of technology, but the sketchy Yagari Pharmasuticals likes to operate on old school principles, making me write out all the information they're paying for. Honestly, if they wanted security, paper that can be read by anyone is not the way to go.

Then, a young girl's bubbly giggle hits my ears, and I start, immediately cursing myself for the action. My blood red eyes scan the room, all traces of a smile having faded away. Something moves in the corner of my eye and I slowly reach down to my pocket, feeling for my switchblade and suddenly remembering that I had left it in my coat.

The voice sounds again, this time louder, and a girl no older than 14 sits up on my couch, with a mild smirk on her face. She looks over at me, and I can feel her own red eyes pierce mine. Unlike mine however, hers don't look like they were stained in blood, and instead they burn with the ferocity of a tame candle. Innocence radiates from her very being and it immediately makes me feel sick to my stomach, and my eyes narrow. What is _she_ doing here?

* * *

Prolouges are nice. It makes me feel a bit better about my lack of being able to write a full chapter to start everything off.

Oh well. So what do you think? Who is this girl?

P.S. To anyone who is reading 'My Past, Present and Future,' I know it seems the same: Mysterious girl shows up, making Izaya act OOC, but this is a Shizaya fic, unlike that one, which is IzayaxOC and ShizuoxOC.

P.P.S. Speaking of, what should I do for that one? I'm willing to collaborate on any of my working stories, since I seem to write more when I'm writing with someone else. So if anyone has any ideas, please, PM me!

Review, Review, Review~


	2. Hear the Truth

The infamous information broker is found speechless as the red haired, red eyed girl smiles softly, closing the large book she had been reading.

"You know, none of these books on your shelf really make for light reading. I mean, look at this one. '101 Incurable Psychological Diseases.' Who keeps books like these around, Iza-kun?"

The black haired man shuddered at the familiarity in her voice, and makes his own purposefully colder.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were... gone forever," The girl smirks, standing to make her way over to the wall of bookshelves, sliding the book back into its original place.

Without making eye contact, she keeps her voice light and happy while pretending to look for another book. "What, are you upset that I'm here? I thought you would be happy! After all, I haven't seen you since we were first years in high school."

"Don't remind me. If I had never seen you again it would be too soon. I was sure you felt the same way, Rei-chan," Rei smiles at the suffix.

"If you never wanted to see me again, why -chan?" Finally selecting another thick volume, she slides it out of the bookshelf and moves over to the couch again, but in that time Izaya had stood up and taken her place on the couch, studying her with skeptical eyes. She simply smiles sweetly at him, making his stomach roll over as she takes the place next to him, opening the book to the first page and reading through the table of contents.

"You don't look a day over 14, Rei-chan. Seems you haven't aged at all since the last time I saw you."

Rei simply hums in agreement, her eyes widening slightly with interest as she skims through the book before landing on a page about Japanese spirits, greedily devouring every word. "Now this book, much better. Still not exactly light reading, though. Perhaps I'll go down to the store later and get you some manga or something similar."

Izaya narrows his eyes at this. "You're not staying here."

Another, fuller laugh escapes from her mouth and she closes the book, though she keeps her finger in it as a makeshift bookmark. Turning her head to look the man in the eyes, she smiles softly at him, leaning forward slightly.

"Why, would that make you _uncomfortable, _Iza-kun?" The fearless info broker leans back, feeling repelled from the young girl in front of him, his stomach churing from the closeness. Rei, seeing the reaction, smirks as she leans back and stands again, setting the book down where she had just been sitting.

"I wouldn't do that to you, though. I've got a place, and I don't think Shizuo-kun would talk to me if he knew I was staying with his worst enemy," She turns towards the large window, looking out at the skyline. "Your rivalry hasn't changed much, hm?"

Izaya leans back, throwing one arm over the back of his couch, acting distant. "Why would it? Seeing Shizu-chan get mad is a very entertaining pastime."

"And, I suppose, your exercise routine as well," Rei closes her eyes and lowers her head, and Izaya notices the young girl's ears twitch before a smile spreads widely on her face. She turns and skips over towards the door, ignoring the strange look she's getting from the man on the couch.

"I'll see you later, Iza-kun!~ I'm off to visit with the others. By the way, you left your chatroom log up, so I looked through it while I was waiting for you to show up," The girl shakes her head, laughing softly again. "You're really having fun screwing with their minds, huh?"

His trademark smirk finally makes it onto his face, though it isn't backed up by the look in his eyes. "Of course. Humans feel safer behind a mask, and tend to reveal more about themselves when they have one, and the internet fits the bill perfectly."

Rei shrugs, brushing a stray hair out of her face as she reaches for the doorknob. "I see. That statement rings true in my ears," Rei looks back at him, smiling innocently as she speaks again, "My ears are sensitive to the truth, you know. I can hear truth behind lies and half-truths people tell. And look! I told you all that without a mask," Giving him one last revolting grin, she opens the door and grabs the outside knob, easing it shut. When he sees her hand disappear from it halfway through the door swinging softly shut, he shifts and falls back on his couch, laying a hand palm up on his forehead.

"Well, Rei-chan, you're not exactly a normal human, now are you?"

* * *

Iza-kun, don't hide things! If she's not a 'normal human,' then what is she?

Can anyone guess? There's quite a few clues in this short chapter as to what she is. If someone guesses right, I can... uh... write a one-shot for them? Any pairing? Any anime (though I'd like to stay within what I have seen, I can try a new anime if you're willing to wait)?

**Izaya: **You know, this is the second time you've ended the first chapter on me being confused. I don't appreciate it.

**Me: **Um... see you guys next time!

Review, Review, Review~


	3. Shizuo-kun and Shinra-kun

**Shizuo POV**

I hate violence.

It screws with people and it hurts them. Physically sure, but also mentally.

My brain is wired for fighting.

And I hate it.

I hate being this way. I've hurt more people than I could count with a calculator, and sometimes the pain is irreversible. When I see the damage I cause after I fly into a blind rage, I can't help but let my heart cry out in pain with them. I would never shed a tear, of course. It would ruin the image that I've built for myself. As much as I hate being known as the strongest man in Ikebukuro, it keeps most wannabe punks from starting a fight with me, and if I have to deal with a reputation like that because of it, that's fine with me.

It seems that I always get into this thinking mood after I chase that annoying flea around for a while. Sometimes, I don't know why I do it. It's just habit now, I think. My hatred for him has died down, though it's far from gone. Unless he's involved in a scheme where someone I actually care about is going to get hurt, I like to think I could care less about the man.

"Hey, Shizuo-san? You alright?" Tom's voice hits my ears and I nod without really hearing his words, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Alright, well, I think I can handle this last one, so why don't you head home. It's pretty late."

"Huh? You sure?" Tom knows me a bit too well. If someone makes me angry while I'm like this, it'll cause more damage than it's worth. After a little bit more of this back and forth, I finally consent and walk away, waving behind me as I do.

Now that I'm done for the night, what should I do? It may be late, but it's too early to go home and try to sleep. Walking around town is my best option, but there's always the possibility the flea'll show up again.

A sigh escapes my lips as I reach into my back pocket for my pack of cigarettes and my lighter. No sooner have I lit the death stick and put it to my lips is it snatched out of my fingers by a nimble hand.

"Shame on you, Shizuo-kun. You should know better than to smoke, it's horrible for you!" I freeze. I know this voice. It's been a long time, but her singsong voice is the one and only.

"R-Rei-chan?" The redheaded teen grins as she drops the cigarette, stepping on it as she springs forward to tackle the former bartender in a hug. Startled and frozen in shock, I can't do anything but stand there for a few moments before tentatively returning the hug, burying my face in her hair for a moment before pulling back, quickly wiping my eyes for any stray tears that might find their way out.

"Hey Shizuo-kun! Whew, I'm glad you recognized me. I would have felt so awkward if you hadn't. I'm surprised, actually. Your memory wasn't all that good, if I recall," Rei steps back and I put my hands on her shoulders, looking her over. Her hair is ever flaming, standing out in the dismal crowd of the city. Her sundress is dyed with the colors of the sunset and a bright yellow bow shines against her red hair, hanging right above her ear.

Her eyes haven't dulled the slightest bit since I last saw her. That small patch of freckles that she always complained about is still there, forming a bridge across her nose. Finally, I gaze at her lips that seem to be permanently dyed a bubble gum pink and I spot the thing I'm looking for.

The smallest of cuts curls around her upper lip, and I growl unconsciously. That scar brings back bad memories of the days where I could constantly hurt myself and end up in the hospital, my early high school days.

The girl breaks away from my grip and looks into my eyes with concern. "Hey, Shizuo-kun?" She notices my eyes scanning her scar and she covers it with one hand. "Oh, yeah, this. Don't worry about it, it's healed well. I barely notice it anymore."

"Rei-chan, what... what are you doing here? I thought... I thought...!"

"Don't worry about it, Shizuo-kun! I had to leave for a while, but I'm back! I don't know for how long, but I'll stay for a good while, I promise."

"Have... you talked to the flea? Does he know you're here?" Rei smiles softly, causing my rising anger to fade.

"Yes, I did. I had to wait forever before he finally showed up though. He didn't seem as confused about me coming back, but after all, he's used to strange things happening on a daily occurrence. You both reacted the way I expected. You haven't changed the slightest bit, Shizuo-kun. You and Iza-kun both. It was pretty easy to imagine the specific reaction from each of you."

"Ok, fine, but stop talking like that now. You sound like the flea," Rei giggles and nods.

"Fair enough. Now, I do have a question for you. I want to visit Shinra-kun as well while I'm here, but I don't know where he lives. Could you escort me there?"

"Um... sure... but why?" Rei giggles yet again and turns to look out at the busy road.

"Well, I figure since I'm here, I should visit him as well as you too, you know? So, you'll show me to his house, right?"

I clear my throat and nod. Something about her is giving me a light headed feeling, though I don't know why exactly. I zone out as Rei grabs my hand and leads me towards the road, and my legs seem to have a mind of their own as they immediately fall into the short route to the underground doctor's apartment.

Rei hums a popular tune loudly, though Shizuo can barely hear it over the bustle of the city.

"Hey, Rei-chan, what song is that? It sounds familiar..."

One corner of her mouth turns up as she glances back. "It's a pop song, by an American singer named P!nk. It's called 'True Love.'" Noticing the confused look on the blonde's face, she laughs. "What, you thought I wouldn't keep up with the times while I was gone?"

"... You're weird. Maybe not as bad as those two from Kadota's gang, but... still pretty weird."

Rei turns back towards the road, but Shizuo stops her as he turns into an apartment building, heading for the elevator while the young redhead looks around the plain walls and peeling paint, raising an eyebrow.

"Shinra-kun lives... here?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot, you don't know what Shinra does for a living, huh?" She shakes her head, her amber eyes glinting with confusion. Shizuo doesn't answer the obvious question lingering in the air and instead, when he hears the soft ding, steps out of the elevator and walks over to a door painted in cheap pale yellow paint and raps on the door.

Loud footsteps precede the door opening wide and at first Shinra only notices the tall bartender standing in front of him. His trained eyes scan Shizuo's body for any kind of injury and looks confused when he doesn't see even a dot of blood on them.

"Hey, Shizuo, what can I do for... you..." The doctor's eyes shift from Shizuo to the young girl standing behind him, and his mouth drops open in an almost comical way. Rei waves happily, then taking a step back when he doesn't say anything.

"Shinra-kun? I think your wife'll get jealous if you keep staring at me." At this statement both Shinra and Shizuo look at her in confusion. She simply points to Shinra's left hand in response, where a simple golden band sits on his ring finger.

"Powers of observation are strong with me, huh? So, Shinra-kun, do you think I could come in and visit with you for a little bit? You're really the only one left." Her straightforwardness finally snaps him out of it and he regains his carefree demeanor and steps aside.

"Of course, of course, come on in! We've got 7 years to catch up on, and considering how young you still look, I've got a lot of questions!"

Rei laughs, taking a seat on Shinra's couch next to Shizuo and leaning into his large chest as the underground doctor starts shooting questions at her.

"Where have you been? After your accident at the end of our first year, I thought you had-"

"Woah, woah! I know you really want to know about that, but I'm not exactly up for talking about it the day that I arrive. Why don't we talk about something else, hmm?" Shinra blinks in confusion. What could he ask that wouldn't bring up... that?

* * *

It's kinda bad that I have to end everything I write on some kind of cliffhanger. Or is it? Idk, maybe it's a good thing, if it builds suspense. Anyways, thanks for reading! My little mini 'contest' is still up, btw, since nobody guessed what Rei is yet. It's not that hard!... right?

Review, Review, Review!~


	4. Meeting Celty

Yay, another chapter!

My mini-contest is still open, since nobody's PM'd me about it. More hints in this chapter about it.

Thank you to FujoShizaya, Umi Hinode, Flor Velasquez, and meekmills for following Ghost of our Past. I really appreciate it!

* * *

"If you can't think of anything, I've got a pretty big question for you," Rei says, sitting up from her spot and leaning forward, her red eyes piercing Shinra's brown ones. "So, that ring. Who's the, ah, lucky girl?" Behind her, Shizuo sighs as soon as the words leave her lips, and Rei quickly glances back at him before Shinra explodes.

"My wonderful Celty, of course! I've never loved anyone else! Of course, because my darling doesn't like to admit her feelings, it took the longest time to get her to say yes to me, but I persisted and finally she relented and accepted!" Shinra continues to go on about how much he loves her and how he had fallen in love with her at first sight while Rei and Shizuo exchange a look of exasperation. Shizuo shrugs, as if to say 'I told you so.'

"Alright, alright, I get it Shinra-kun. You love Celty, you've made that obvious. So then, where is she? I want to wish her luck," Shinra, acting more melodramatic by the minute, throws his hands up in the air, acting offended.

"Rei-chan, you're so mean! Are you implying I don't make a good husband to my dear Celty? Is that it!?"

"Answer the question, Shinra-kun."

"Oh no, Rei-chan's getting angry with me! Whatever shall I do?" Shinra continues his little charade as Rei gives him a no nonsense look. Feeling intimidated by the 14 year old for some reason, he calms down slightly. "Celty's out on a job right now. Some kind of drop off or something," Noticing the curious look Rei gives Shinra, Shizuo pipes up to explain.

"Celty's a courier. It's her job to drive back and forth to drop stuff off and deliver messages," Shinra nods happily, ever excited to talk about his new wife. Rei rolls her eyes at him as she opens her mouth to ask another question, but before she can sound out a single syllable the front door slams shut and Shirna jumps up from the couch, running over to a black clad woman wearing a bright yellow motorcycle helmet with cat ears on it.

"Celty, you're back! How was it?" The woman named Celty shrugs, coming round the corner to sit down on the couch, pulling out a cell phone from her back pocket.

It was fine. Just a normal job, pretty easy to complete.

"I'll say, you got back really quickly. Oh, I almost forgot! We have guests!" Shinra bounces on the balls of his feet excitedly, gesturing to the blond bartender and flame haired teen sitting in their living room. Turning her head so that the visor of her helmet faces them, she takes a hasty step back, furiously typing something to Shinra, who looks at her with confusion.

Rei stands up, giving the woman a smile, but famous Black Rider shrinks back into Shinra's arms, typing out another message for the girl in front of her.

No, stay away from me!

Shinra, seeing the message before she turns the cell phone the other way, gently wraps his arms around her to stop her from shaking. "Celty, what's wrong? Why are you shaking so much?"

S-Shinra, that girl is-

"She's my old classmate from high school." Rei smiles innocently at Celty again, attempting to put her at ease but instead she manages to freak her out even more, causing shadows to start leaking onto the floor.

"I'm Rei! It's nice to meet you, Celty. I have to say, I'm surprised you and Shinra-kun are together. Having known him for a long time, it's-"

Stop talking and leave! Now!

Rei blanches, but then she gives a small laugh. "You're right, you must be tired from your job. Shizuo-kun, Shinra-kun, it was nice visiting with you both. Shizuo-kun, my phone number's still in your phone, right? I'll talk to you both later," With a knowing smirk, she glides past a confusing Shinra and a frightened Celty to the door, where she doesn't skip a beat, letting the usually squeaky hinges smoothly shut without any noise.

Once the girl had left her sight, the dullahan, still shaking fiercely, removes her helmet and sinks into the couch while Shinra goes to stand in front of her, his hands on his hips but concern in his voice, half scolding her.

"Celty, what was that for? I've never seen you like that before. Well... at least, it's been a while." Shinra jerks back when the headless fairy thrusts the phone in his face, making him blink in surprise.

That girl... she isn't human, Shinra! I felt it! Her entire being, it isn't the same as you or Shizuo!

"What?" Shinra's voice echoes with disbelief. He was very sensitive to the supernatural - after all, he had an immortal Irish fairy as a wife - and he hadn't sensed a thing coming from his former classmate. Yet it was obvious Celty wasn't acting or being possessive or anything, however happy that thought made him.

Shinra - and you, Shizuo - stay away from her, please! I felt something mysterious and dangerous emitting from her. Didn't you think it was odd that an old _classmate _of yours looks exactly the same as she did 9 years ago?

Shizuo adjusts his sunglasses on his face that he hadn't bothered to take off before. "So what, are you saying she's some kinda fairy like you are?"

Celty shakes her head - er, stump - and holds her phone to her chest, shaking even more.

I don't know what she is! But she's dangerous, that I know. Shizuo, Shinra, _promise me _you won't talk to her alone, ok?

"Celty, she's our classmate, don't you think that's a little harsh-"

_Promise!_

"Alright, fine, I promise!" Shinra looks over at Shizuo, who stands and nods at the both of them before going over to the door, leaving the two of them alone without a definite answer.

Shinra sits down next to Celty, and immediately she curls up to him. "You know, I love it when you allow me to cuddle with you, but I wish you would tell me what's got you so scared in a bit more detail. I promise, Rei-chan wouldn't hurt a fly, alright? Even though you say she's not human, that doesn't change her in my eyes."

The energy I felt was just... unsettling. I can't explain it. You really didn't feel it?"

Shinra shakes his head. "No. I guess you're just more sensitive than me. But it's alright. If you're right and she is dangerous, I'll be sure to protect you. Nobody is going to come close to hurting my Celty."

* * *

D'aw, such a cute ending to a chapter.

So, any guesses as to what Rei is? I never planned on revealing it until the very end (like, last chapter end) so I'll keep asking till someone guesses!

Any comments are appreciated though. See you all later!~

Review, Review, Review!~


	5. Rei's First Memory

And now starts the slowing of uploads. Enjoy this chapter, and try to figure out the meaning behind it!

* * *

As soon as the door closes behind the small teen, she drops her kind happy demeanor and a cool look enveloped her entire being. Threading her fingers together with her arms behind her back, Rei starts down the hallway, opting to take the stairway instead of the elevator. As she takes her time down the steps, the bright fluorescent lights above her start to flicker.

Once out on the street, she takes a quick stop in a 24 hour convenience store to grab a bottle of water and some aspirin as well as her favorite off brand candy to snack on later. The cashier, who looks only a year or two older than Rei herself, wishes her a good night and the girl conjures up a small smile and a wave for her. A job like this couldn't be easy, especially with the recent gang wars. The men who had lost were still out for blood, and now, it didn't even matter if they were in a rival gang.

"'Eyyy what'sa li'l girl like you doin' out so late, all alone?" A man, probably a year or so older than Shizuo sauntered up to her, letting her catch the strong smell of alcohol coming from his clothes as well as his breath. Two of his buddies follow suit, the latter being bulky and brawny and much taller than the teen.

"Excuse me sir, but can I help you?"

The man smirks deviously. "Nah, bu' I can help you. Why don't I escort you home, li'l girl? You mus' be lost if you're wanderin' round here. Don' worry, I'll keep ya safe." Rei rolls her eyes and starts to walk away, but ringleader grabs her wrist and pins it against the wall, making her face him. She fearlessly stares into his dulled out drunken gaze with calm, cool eyes.

"But, ya know, why can't we 'ave some fun first?"

Rei blinks once, then again, then a soft giggle bubbles up and the man's grip slackens in drunk confusion. Using the momentary hesitation to her advantage, she twists her wrist, grabs his, and pulls him closer, bringing her knee up.

The man's falsetto voice crying out dramatically in pain brings tears of laughter to her own eyes as she bolts away, taking back roads and using her knowledge she learned in middle school to pull herself up onto a ledge and free running across the tops of lower buildings to get to her own apartment window on the top floor.

Rei smirks slightly as she slides her one window open from the outside. It was good that she had stayed out so late, for now the dark cover of night hid her dangerous stunt from curious eyes. 'It's funny, really' the teen thinks to herself, 'how little people actually see unless it's pointed out to them.'

The death defying girl swings one leg into the room and sits on the sill, gazing out into the glowing city. Down there, the people look like ants, cars look like nothing more than toys, and the neon signs of the shops below are blobs in her vision.

Rei sighs, pulling her leg in and taking the few steps to her makeshift cot with one holey blanket haphazardly thrown over it. Flopping down on it fully clothed and letting her grocery bag fall out of her slackened grip, she starts drifting off to sleep. Her mind avoids the events of the day in order to stay calm and let it drift off into peaceful slumber.

She opens her eyes, squinting at the sudden sunlight and shifting when hot blacktop burns against her exposed skin. A loud, angry yell gets her instincts to kick in and she rolls over and sprints towards the large shadow cast by the building a few yards away.

And as expected, the shot she had just been laying in is suddenly fractured by a bent stop sign, no doubt a product of another fight. Rei sighs, rolling her eyes as another shout echoes around the yard and a smirking raven-haired teen drops down in front of her, having vaulted over the brick wall surrounding the yard with ease.

"Why hello, Rei-chan~ Enjoying the weather while you should be in class?" Her death glare doesn't affect his cheeriness.

"How long have you been out chasing Shizuo-kun? Because class ended a half hour ago."

"Oh, is that so?" His playful smirk tells Rei that he knew exactly what time it was. Rei sighs again.

"Iza-kun, honestly. I don't see how you get such good grades when you skip so many lessons to chase around your high school crush-"

Izaya Orihara, nothing more than a pale skinny teen at this point, never appreciated someone, especially a 5'2" redhead claiming something like that. In a flash, all happy pretenses disappear and his hand appears on her neck, slamming Rei against the brick wall.

_I remember this. It was here that my head started spinning and my heart was pounding and I sputtered some half-assed apology. Heh, but now..._

"You know, I would hate to see such an interesting human die, especially by my own hands, but if another comment like that escapes your mouth, that pretty little throat of yours will be my knife's new holster," In this dream of hers, his eyes appear more blood red than they really had been, burning with uncharacteristic fury. But instead of cowering in fear as he so obviously wanted, she mirrors his smirk and grabs his wrist.

"I don't think you're fast enough to hit it, Iza-kun," With that, she twists, bringing her elbow up to slam him in the jaw, sending him off-balance for a split second, and she gives him a slight push which lands him on the ground.

"So tell me, why are you so angry? It's so unnatural for you," Rei plops herself down right on Izaya's chest, looking sideways to see his expression had melted into one of confusion.

_Maybe it's only because I've known him for a while that I can see these emotions from him. That and my special sense for this has heightened considerably since I've come back to Ikebukuro._

"I don't take kindly to someone implying that I could care about any human above the others, especially since Shizu-chan-"

"Isn't even human, he's a monster. You've said that before. But, you know, Iza-kun..."

**"****Doesn't that make him a perfect match for you?" **

And the last thing she sees before her vision fades away into darkness is the look of utter fury and rage in the raven-haired teen's eyes.

_And that, boys and girls, is a surefire way to guarantee yourself a one-way ticket to the afterlife. _

* * *

There it is! I'm starting to run dry for ideas between the beginning and the big climax, but if you review, maybe it'll help me think of some more stuff? Please?


	6. School Days

Man, I had the idea for this chapter for the longest time, but I couldn't write it!

Well, that's kinda a lie. I had the first part totally thought out. But it ended up not being long enough, so I added the other part in there. I decided that even though this is eventual Shizaya (or Izuo, I haven't chosen yet) she should meet other characters.

Don't worry, there will be more character interaction to come.

But for now, enjoy the chapter!

Oh! Almost forgot! Thank you to teamouri1, Cristinkn, and k42138 for following Ghost of our Past! It means so much!

* * *

When Rei shakes herself out of the deep sleep the dream had brought on, her cheeks were hurting from the smirk it had caused.

"I am so lucky I didn't actually say that. If I had, I don't think I'd be here now." The redhead slowly sits up in her cot and looks out the window, cringing at the strong sunlight leaking in. "Man, how late did I sleep?"

All of a sudden, two invisible hands wrap around Rei's head and start squeezing, giving her an all too familiar ache.

"No, no, no! Not again!" Rei cries out as her own hands fly to her temples to try and lessen the sudden pain pounding against her skull, but to no avail. Quickly as she can, she rolls over with one hand still pressing as the other reaches down beside the bed and tries to grab the bag from last night, as the pain in her head continually gets worse. Her fingers flail until finally she manages to hook her pinky in the loop, bringing it up to sit on her chest, digging out the bottle of water and the pills. Cursing herself for not doing it sooner, she moves both her hands down to the bag to remove the plastic seal on it as the pressure in her head builds, making her see stars.

"Why do all of these things have to be so goddamn hard to open!?" Rei yells in frustration before the cap to the pills pops off, sending a few stray ones flying to the ground. Cursing again, she dumps a handful into her hand and grabs the water bottle, squeezing it too hard and sending water splashing all over her.

At this point her head felt as if it was about to explode, so she throws back the entire handful of pills as well as the remaining half water bottle that hadn't spilled all over her. Dropping the empty plastic down, her hands return to her head to try and relieve the pain.

-0-

About 20 minutes of extreme agony later, it finally starts to ebb away, slowly but surely, and after another 15 Rei is able to stand up straight without the threat of falling back down on her face. She calmly makes her way back to her bed, returning the cap onto the aspirin loosely, in case of another sudden headache.

"I am so hoping those don't last forever, because I don't know how long I can deal with them every day!" The young teen yells at empty air, punching her pillow in a spurt of anger. "Honestly, I'm here to see you guys again and all you can do is fight! What is it this time? Did he look at you funny? Or did he actually say something mean again?!" Breathing heavily with every word, Rei forces her voice to steady, and forces a smile onto her lips, that eventually melts into something a little more natural looking.

"Well, in any case, maybe I can ask Shinra-kun for some medicine while issues are being worked out." Nodding her head, she smoothes down her bedhead with her fingers and wrings the excess water from her clothes and hair before changing into a new outfit for the day. Smiling to herself in a small pocket mirror, she turns and opens her apartment door, stepping into the dusty hall full of creaky boards, but the small girl manages to avoid making a single noise as she makes her way to the ground floor.

-0-

Rei starts to mindlessly walk towards Shinra's apartment building, but then she remembers her encounter with his supernatural wife and stops cold, causing another teen running down the sidewalk to crash into her, sending them both sprawling on the ground.

She recovers first, rolling over her shoulder and getting back to her feet to see the boy frantically gathering all of his school things that had exploded out of his bag. Feeling bad for him, she kneels down and grabs a few runaway pencils and pens, studying him as she does.

"I'm so sorry! I was running too fast because I'm going to be late for class, and I've never been late before, and-" Rei's laugh cuts off his nervous stuttering. She hands over the small stack of supplies and her hand lingers over his.

"Don't worry about it, kid. I get it." He sighs happily in relief, stuffing the pencils back in his bag before taking off again, albeit a little slower than before. Rei follows along, finding herself with nothing better to do. "So, what's your name? I can't keep calling you 'kid.' My name's Rei."

The boy eyes her suspiciously, but she just smiles happily. "R-Ryuugamine Mikado."

"That's a weird name, but it's nice to meet you, Ryuugamine-san! Although, do you mind if I call you Mikado-kun instead? I know we just met and all but it feels too stiff and formal otherwise." The teen -Mikado - mutely nods his head. "Yay!" Her eyes shift downwards to his uniform that had been covered in dust and dirt from his tumble. "So, you're going to Raira? It's a pretty good school from what I remember. Though, my classmates were a little on the eccentric side..." Rei delves into her memories and Mikado continues to stare at her, completely confused.

"W-Wait a minute... you look like you're my age! But I've never seen you before at school!" She starts, then smiles.

"Looks can be deceiving. Believe it or not, I've been out of school for nine years now. But, enough about me, I thought you were going to be late for class?" Mikado starts, quickly pulling his bag closer to him and running off.

"You're right! I'm sorry, I hope we can meet again soon!" And off he goes, his feet pounding against the sidewalk and hastily swerving around any passerby that might accidentally step in front of him. She giggles to herself. It didn't seem that long ago that she herself was doing that. Feeling a sudden urge to reminisce, she continues down the sidewalk towards the school.

As soon as it appears on the horizon, Rei breaks out into a run, only to slow down at the sight of the young boy she had just met standing in a small group with two other teens. The first is a yellow-blonde teen who gesticulates with large motions every time a word escapes his mouth, and the other is a small statured black haired girl with glasses and a large chest. Unconsciously, Rei puts her hand to her underdeveloped chest and sighs. It would be a while before she could have a body like hers.

However, with the way the girl seemed to curl in on herself, it was hard to be jealous of her. She obviously didn't use them to her 'advantage' like some did.

The whole scene reminds Rei of her own high school days, where her and Shinra would meet up in the front of this high school and gaze out into the busy roads and talk. Well, Shinra would do most of the talking, of which 99% was of his roommate Celty, and Rei could barely get a word in edgewise.

Of course, their relative peace was almost constantly interrupted by the appearance of a smirking Izaya or a disgruntled Shizuo (or in some cases, an irate Shizuo if Izaya had gotten to him before the school did). Their morning was then spent calming the blond down and barely making it to class.

Remembering those near constant fights when Shizuo would hurt himself every time brings a pang of sadness to the redhead. Now, his body was used to the beating he always took and his anger towards Izaya seemed more out of habit than anything else, but back then, it physically hurt Rei whenever she visited him in the hospital to find him in a cast. She had begged Izaya to stop harassing him, but he always told her it was too much fun to stop.

'I wonder,' Rei thinks to herself, 'why exactly he found it fun.' Sure, Izaya came off as crazy to an average onlooker, but he wasn't. She knew this for fact. The raven-haired man was devious, definitely. Cruel? Yes. Sadistic even? Mhm. But the man was completely sane, both then and now.

And this makes her think. There is a point where a sane person can't continue their actions without a motive. If it's for their own pleasure, then they've crossed into the infinite realm of insanity. But every fiber inside her told her that this, this constant fighting, was a product of something different.

Very, very different.

* * *

Alright, so, favor time. I'm running out of 'in-between' stuff that should happen before my main stuff really goes down, so if you have something that you want to happen - certain character interaction, a plot point to occur, a conversation or memory for Rei - I am all ears!

Seriously, please help a girl out. It takes a lot of effort to sit down and write, but if I see comments like that (or any reviews really) it makes me wanna do it!

So either way, be sure to review! (If you do, you get a free internet cookie and my thanks (oh, and a faster chapter update, so there's that!))

I'm rambling, so... Bye until the next chapter!


	7. Memory on the Roof

**Guest chapter 1 . 14h ago**

**this story should die. Its going against drrr. This is just bull crap**

Yay! My first ever hater comment! Someone break out the cake and ice cream, cause it's the time to celebrate!

But wait, there's more!

**Guest chapter 1 . 14h ago**

**this story is horrible. No shizou and izaya! they are enemies! Haven't you guys read the Manga!**

I got two in one, guys! Aren't you proud of me?

On a more serious note though, I'm kind of sad that they left them as 'Guest,' because I want to thank them personally. These two reviews are what made me get this chapter up today. See what I mean about reviews making me work harder?

But honestly, can I just take the time to address these messages here? You're free to scroll down if you don't care of course, but I just wanna clear some stuff up.

First of all, what was the actual purpose of these reviews? Were they trying to get me to change the whole premise of this story because they didn't like it? Trying to get me to break down crying? Trying to, god forbid, get me to stop writing it altogether?

Well, I'm sorry good sir or ma'am, but I'm made of tougher material than that.

In response to your first comment 'It's going against drrr,' might I point you to the definition of fanfiction?

_Fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, etc. _

Or, maybe what Wikipedia says on the matter?

_Fan fiction is defined by being both related to its subject's canonical fictional universe and simultaneously existing outside the canon of that universe._

Saying that it goes against the universe when you are on is a little silly, don't you think? It's supposed to exist outside canon, that's why its fanfiction!

And the second comment, 'They are enemies! Haven't you read the manga?' Well, bud, I have. I have read all four translated books of the main storyline as well as the Saika Arc, and I can't tell you how many times I've seen the anime. So I do know what I'm talking about when I write for this universe.

I have an OC. It isn't supposed to be completely canon, since I'm writing in my own character. But then again, you probably aren't even reading this.

Moral of the story, hate will go right over my head, so go ahead and write it if you want.

But I do have one question, if this mysterious Guest is reading this. If you tell me that this story - which is as close to canon as I can get it - needs to die because it goes against DRRR, then do you go on crack fics and crossovers and tell the authors that they need to die?

Sorry, my actual readers who like this story (hopefully) for ranting, but I just needed to say it. But in any case, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Hey, girl! Aren't you supposed to be in school right now?" A man wearing a crisp, clean police uniform calls out to Rei, snapping her out of her trance. He's too close for her to get away, so she smiles as bright as possible at him.

"Oh, I'm not a student! I graduated nine years ago!" The man raises an eyebrow, looking her up and down and obviously not believing her. Biting the inside of her cheek, she puts her hand to her side and realizes that she hadn't chosen an outfit with pockets and in doing so, forgot her ID back in her small little apartment. Trying to laugh it off and explain her situation, she starts backing up slowly, ready to bolt as soon as the opportunity arises.

But without avail, as the man darts forward and seizes her arm, dragging her towards the school. "Trying to skip school by standing in front of it without your uniform? You're quite the horrible liar, little lady." He pulls her up the stairs, past a few groups of kids who were looking at the scene with a mix of confusion and laughter. Her cheeks heat up with embarrassment and she wrenches her arm out of his grasp.

"I don't go to school! I told you, I graduated a long time ago! Just ask any of these kids, they'll tell you!" The police officer furrows his eyebrows, glaring at her, and she returns the gesture. After about a minute of the intense stare-off, he relents slightly by grabbing her wrist again and dragging her over to Mikado and his friends, who were the closest the them.

"Does this young lady attend school with you kids?" He roughly pulls her in front of him and grabs her shoulders, preventing escape. Rei simply sighs and facepalms, pleading silently with one eye to the blond boy, who was closest. He blinks in surprise, but quickly recovers.

"I've never seen this girl before in my life. Maybe you're wrong, and she's, like, one of those lolita types. Like in anime and stuff, right? The ones who look way younger than they are? Yeah, that's gotta be it. Something about her tells me she's a lot older than us, but that wouldn't stop me from-" Mikado pulls the kid back before he can continue his sentence and bows his head to the officer.

"Sir, I just met with her on the road, and she told me she had graduated years ago! I know we've never seen her around campus, but you could even ask the teachers if you don't believe us!" At that, Rei tenses, but luckily the officer doesn't notice it. She takes a deep breath before looking back at him and smiling.

"Can we be done with this, or do you want to talk to the teachers about it? Cause I do have other things to do today, as I'm sure you do as well." He growls and grumbles something under his breath, but releases her and hastily makes his way off the grounds, acutely aware of the hundred or so pairs of eyes on him. Rei turns and almost immediately an arm is thrown around her shoulders.

"You know, I made all that stuff up on the spot. For all we know, you could be a new transfer student that decided not to attend her first day. Ooh, if that's the case, I bet you're really foreign! Well, are you?" Using her thumb, she slides his arm off and steps away, laughing nervously.

"No, I've lived in Japan my whole life. I really did graduate years ago." Turning to Mikado, she bows slightly, smiling. "I didn't think we'd meet again so soon, Mikado-kun." This causes the blond boy to erupt with questions, firing them so rapidly that he can't get a word in to answer any of them. Letting them sort that out, she steps past Mikado and right in front of the dark haired girl, who looks down at the ground. "Hello there! I'm Rei. I ran into Mikado this morning. Well, more like he ran into me," She mumbles out of the corner of her mouth. The girl nods, whispering something.

"Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear."

"M-My name is Sonohara Anri. It's nice to meet you, Rei-san." She says her name with apprehension, unwilling to offend her. She comforts her with a soft knowing smile.

"Hey, don't leave me out of it!" The blond teen pushes his friend out of the way and dramatically bows to Rei. "I am Kida Masaomi, but you can just call me Masaomi, cool?" He says it like a question, but it's painfully obvious that he isn't giving her a choice.

"Nice to meet you, Masaomi. I'm sorry that I bothered you with that business. My looks always get me into trouble like that," Rei smoothly lies. Masaomi shrugs, making the movement as large as possible.

"No problem! It was a pleasure to help out a lovely girl like you," Rei rolls her eyes.

"You're such a lady killer."

Suddenly, the school bell rings and interrupts them. The three jump and Mikado and Anri look at each other before heading into the school. Masaomi lingers a bit longer but Rei waves his flirting attempts away and sends him off.

She waits until the whole courtyard is completely empty before entering the school herself.

Hey, if she was already here, she might as well see how much the place had changed. The girl quickly descends into a half awake state, looking around the familiar halls as memories bombard her.

In this unconscious state, Rei finds herself automatically making her way up to the top of the school, where she and her friends had spent most of their time.

Opening the door and feeling the wind on her face calms her down, giving her a serene disposition. Deciding that she had time before any student might find their way up here, she lays down in the corner and rests her head on her shoulder, gazing out with glazed eyes.

"Rei-chan! Rei-chan! ... Rei-chan?"

The familiar voice echoes in her eyes, and as her mind returns to her body, bright light assaults her closed eyes and she brings a hand up to shield them.

"Ah, so you are awake! Come on, open your eyes sleepyhead!"

Rei blinks them open, then immediately squints and covers them completely. "Go away, Shinra-kun. I was having a good dream before I heard you yelling at me." Another voice joins in, laughing with an obvious smirk.

"Aww, did poor little Rei-chan not get enough sleep last night?" Painfully, she opens her left eye and glares at the teen behind the teasing voice.

"Shut it, Iza-kun." He smirks at the command, causing her to roll her eyes, reaching out a hand to Shinra, who takes it and helps her up. "You know, you'll get kicked out of school if you skip classes, Rei-chan."

She glares at him. "Practice what you preach. What're you doing up here anyways, Shinra-kun? You two have class, don't you?"

Shinra shakes his head, smiling. "Nope, the teacher's gone and they couldn't find a sub, so we got a free period. And since we hadn't seen you around all day, we decided that-" Rei interrupts him with a loud coughing fit, clutching her chest with one hand and holding her hair back with the other. Shinra automatically switches into doctor mode and he goes to her side, supporting her while she proceeds to cough up her lungs.

Izaya stands there with a cool expression on his face, used to this scene and knowing his comments wouldn't be appreciated by either of them.

As the coughing gets worse, she moves her hand from her hair to over her mouth, trying to muffle the fit. Shinra, biting his lip, mutters words of soft encouragement to her, telling her to breath slowly.

The fit lasts almost two minutes before it finally starts dying down, and she removes her hand from her mouth to look at the small puddle of glistening red liquid sitting in it with calm eyes.

"That's not as much as last time. Maybe you're getting better!" She smiles slightly, letting the blood drip into the corner and wiping her hands on a stained handkerchief Shinra hands her.

"Here's hoping, huh? I just started a new treatment, so maybe that's taking effect." She whispers, not believing her own words. Shinra smiles and gently claps her on the back. Rei looks up and meets Izaya's eyes, that were staring at her with something like... pity?

She smiles despite herself. Was this teen in front of her, who fought with someone on a daily basis for the hell of it, even capable of that emotion?

"I can't help but admire you. If I were you, I'd probably stay home to deal with these attacks." Shinra confesses, trying to compliment her. Rei simply shrugs.

"Well, even though I'm sick, it doesn't affect my brain, so I should learn all I can until it does, right?" This shuts down whatever encouragement Shinra was about to throw at her, and silence falls over the trio. Ignoring the tense atmosphere, she grabs her bag and pushes past them, leaning against the edge of the roof with her hands flat on the concrete. She breathes in the fresh air, trying to avoid another attack.

A hand lands on her shoulder, and she turns her head just enough to see them out of the corner of her eye.

"Kyo-kun... You were here too?" The stoic teen nods, trying to convey all his feelings with the simple touch.

"You shouldn't give up. You're still alive. That's all you should need."

Rei smiles, turning back to the outside and thinking over his words. The wind continues to blow, whipping her hair around.

He was right. There's no reason to be sad. She could and would accomplish everything she was meant to do. Maybe it would be a little rushed, but that didn't matter. It would be done, no matter the cost.

* * *

Jeez, with that long author's note this chapter is gonna be long, so I'll keep this quick. Review if you like, Review if you don't, tell me what you might like to see in here, and enjoy the rest of your day!


	8. Driving in the Rain

Hey, so I gained three new followers for this story; OrionOfTheSky, Hetaliapasta90 and chinaxrussia21!

So, I'm guessing the last two are both Hetalia fans, yes? I have another story that is focused on Hetalia! It's supposed to be based on suggestions, but I haven't gotten any... So yeah, if maybe you could do that for me, it would make me very happy!

BTW, sorry that this chapter is shorter, I just needed to cut it off here. You'll see why.

* * *

A loud boom jolts Rei out of her sleep and she scrambles to her feet as raindrops start splattering the cement. Hissing as it pelts against her skin, she bolts towards the door and throws it open, leaning her entire body against it once it closes. Panting loudly, she brings her hands to her face and rubs the sleep from her eyes, wondering whether the moisture on her face is from the sky.

"How long have I been up here? The sky was pretty clear when I fell asleep..." Cursing herself for not wearing a watch, she gingerly makes her way down the stairs, ears straining for any sounds of footsteps. But all is quiet as she makes her way through the hallways that seem much longer than they were before towards a side door. She almost makes it, until she feels a strong hand clasp onto her shoulder, pull her back and spin her around.

"M-Mr. Nasujima*... I was... just on my way out!" Rei starts, blabbing on about her excuse for being here, nostalgia and all that crap. But none of it seems to get through, and after a while her voice just dies away as the disbelieving look of her former teachers face got too difficult to ignore.

"You... you're Rei... What're you..." Rei takes a step back, trying to break free of the hand that had touched god knows what in the last few days. He tries to hold on, but it seems his muscles fail him as it just drops limply to his side, useless.

"Yes, that's me! Now, I've got to go, I'll be seeing you!" Dropping her innocent persona, she spins on her heel and bolts away, slamming the door open and sprinting through the rain, feeling as though she is being pelted with bullets. She dodges other people running for shelter and ducks into an alley, almost immediately running head first into someone else, spinning from the impact and slams her head against the wall.

"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" Rei blinks, her vision swimming, and shakes her head. She feels a hand on her shoulder and a presence right in front of her, but the dancing colors blocked her view. Another unfamiliar voice comes from further down the alley.

"What're you doing over there Walker? Come on, Saburo's gonna be really mad if you get the inside of his car wet!" A girl scolds the man in front of Rei, causing his hand to retreat.

"I ran into a girl and I think she hit her head! She's not responding!" She opens her mouth to try and tell him that she's ok, but as she does a stab of pain spreads throughout her entire brain, and the pain is so shocking that her mind shuts down and her vision goes black.

"Maybe she's an alien from another planet, and the rain was melting her fake skin off to reveal her true self!"

"That's stupid, why wouldn't the aliens make their fake skin waterproof? I think she's a secret agent sent to spy on some really important business owner and steal all their secrets to bring back to her evil boss! And she was wearing a lot of makeup to conceal her identity!"

"But she wouldn't be running on the street if she were undercover! Maybe she's-"

"Would you two shut up back there? You're gonna wake her up, and you're being unreasonable."

Rei's face twitches as the voices reach her ears. A man and a woman were arguing seemingly only about a foot from her. She's lying face up in a van of some sort, judging by the loud engine. Suddenly a cough escapes her lips, and everyone in the vehicle goes silent for just a moment, until...

"Hey, she's awake!" Rei blinks open her eyes to see the woman leaning over her, extra strands of hair escaping from under her hat mere inches from Rei's nose. "So, are you an alien?"

She smiles, a single laugh echoing. "You're both wrong." The woman's face twists into a pout, then into a thoughtful expression as she leans back to let Rei shift into a sitting position.

"So then, what are you? I mean, your skin was-"

"Don't worry about it. It's really not your business," She snaps at her, causing both of them to jump slightly. Rei sighs. Perhaps it was a little harsh, but she wanted to get out of here, fast. There was no need to answer questions from these people. "Listen, thanks for getting me out of the rain, but I have somewhere to be, so-"

"Nuh-uh! You've got some explaining to do! After all, you had someone you wanted to ask her, right Dotachin?" Dotachin? These people can't possibly be associated with him!

"Yeah, just one." That deep voice causes chills to go down Rei's spine. It sounds so calm yet angry, familiar yet unknown. From the passenger seat, the tall man dressed in black turns around, and Rei swallows hard, seeing the storm of emotions in his eyes. She shuts her eyes, bracing herself as the question that she never wanted to have to answer hits her ears.

"Why are you... alive?"

* * *

Yeah, so... good cliffhanger?

It'll be revealed in the next chapter or two what Rei really is, so here's your last chance!

Hint - Look up what her name means in Japanese! I have a tendency to make the character's name fit them very well. First person to get it right get's a one-shot from me! Or... whatever I promised before. I'll work something out with them.

Anyways, please review! Thanks for reading!


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